Artist Blog

Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography.

All In - Buying into the Drug Trade by GRAHAM MACINDOE The images in this series are of heroin baggies collected years ago during a period of addiction. I became intrigued by the typography and design of the glassine envelopes used to package dope, stamped with references to popular culture like Twilight, Crooklyn and New Jack City. Dealers branded and marketed their product like entrepreneurs in any business, pairing names like Dead Medicine with a skull and crossbones to appeal to risk-takers, or an airplane labeled First Class to give the illusion of grandeur. Lou Reed wrote the song “Perfect Day” to describe being on heroin, and that's what every addict chases. But the marketing of that drug, like any product, doesn't always lead us to what's promised. These images are a reminder of both the power of desire and the promises we as consumers want to believe will somehow change our lives. GRAHAMMACINDOE.COM